North Carolina lawmakers on Thursday passed a 12-week abortion ban that will likely become a law, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Maryland, New York, North Carolina.

• Maryland: In a cross-sectional  study  published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, researchers found that "subdiagnostic cannabis use" is associated with a negative impact on mental health. For the study, researchers analyzed data from the 2015 to 2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. According to study author Ryan Sultan of Columbia University and his colleagues, 2.5% of participants ages 12-17 reported repeat cannabis use over the past year that met thresholds for a cannabis use disorder (CUD) diagnosis and led to clinically significant impairment or distress. "The core purpose of labeling something as a mental health condition is its linkage to adverse impact on a person's life. These findings are suggestive that cannabis use, even at recreational levels, is linked to adverse outcomes in youth," Sultan said. "In the context of an epidemic of depression and suicidality among youth — this is concerning." (Short, MedPage Today, 5/4)
• New York: In a prospective national population-based  study published last month in  Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, researchers found that statin use was associated with lower rates of progression to severe liver disease in individuals with non-cirrhotic chronic liver disease (CLD). For the study, researchers followed 3,862 CLD patients who took statins for approximately 14 years. Overall, risk of developing severe liver disease was 40% lower for those patients, compared with matched patients who did not take statins, according to Rajani Sharma of Columbia University and colleagues. In addition, the researchers found that statin use was associated with lower rates of progression to cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver-related mortality. "To our knowledge, this is the largest study to date, comprised of ~3800 individuals exposed to statins with liver histopathology data for each individual, allowing for more accurate CLD diagnoses, staging of liver disease, and exclusions of cirrhotics at CLD diagnosis," Sharma's group wrote. (Minerd, MedPage Today, 5/4)
• North Carolina: On Thursday, the state Senate passed a 12-week abortion ban, sending the legislation to Gov. Roy Cooper (D), who plans to veto the measure. However, the Republican lawmakers in the legislature hold a veto-proof supermajority and have said they plan to override the governor's veto. Currently, the state restricts abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. Under the new legislation, abortions would be prevented after the 12th week of pregnancy in most cases. The bill allows abortions up to 20 weeks in cases of rape and incest and allows abortions up to 24 weeks in the case of "life-limiting" anomalies for the fetus. In cases where a pregnant person's life is in danger, there is no abortion restriction. The legislation also includes millions in funding to address infant and maternal mortality and morbidity. (González/Chemtob, Axios, 5/4)